The New England Patriots are 3-0 this season, but the offense has been struggling along without Rob Gronkowski, Aaron Hernandez and Danny Amendola and the departure of Wes Welker hasn't helped either, but there could be hope on the horizon, as Gronk is expecting to return soon.
The big question fantasy owners have been asking all season is whether Gronkowski will return THIS WEEK? It's possible, but the official report listed him as limited at practice this week, leaving more questions up in the air for fantasy owners looking to play him. Owners run the risk of leaving out tight ends from earlier in the day Sunday for the night game between the Patriots and the Falcons and that could end up changing the weight in matchups around leagues.
The fact that Gronkowski was limited in practice is not a good sign, as he has been listed that way over the past couple weeks and he obviously did not play last week either. While the report has not come out yet, ESPN.com speculates that Gronk will be questionable for the game, which doesn't make things any clearer for fantasy owners.
The best advice is to be cautious, especially if you have a more suitable tight end to use instead. The Dolphins and the Saints are playing on Monday night football, so at the very least if you leave the tight end spot open for Gronk before game time and then back out, the best bet is to pick up someone like Charles Clay, who has been a sleeper for the Dolphins since they lost Dustin Keller to an injury.
Gronk is the most dominating tight end in the league and clearly Tom Brady has been suffering a bit without him. Rookies Kenbrell Thompkins and Aaron Dobson can only do so much and Zach Sudfeld has been a bust so far. Gronkowski made 55 catches last season with 11 touchdowns for nearly 800 yards despite missing time for an injury, meaning he still could be a solid starter once he gets back healthy.
Consensus: Be cautious this week and sit the Gronk monster.
